Sports Power Rankings: 7.29.09

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Brett Favre returns to the list, but is it enough to claim the top spot?

By Nate Ahearn

Hello, sports fans! Yes, it's that time of the week once again, time to recognize the top ten stories in the world of sports no matter how ridiculous they might be. Just because baseball is the only "major" sport in season at the moment, doesn't mean that there isn't plenty going on elsewhere in the world of sports. This week we're talking about Brett Favre and FSU yet again, Michael Phelps, Lefty makes his return to the links, Dice-K gets in some hot water, Tony Dungy working with Michael Vick, a change to the BCS and much more.

Which story will take the top spot on our power rankings this week? Read on for the answer.

10 - Lefty Makes His Return After taking more than six weeks off to spend time with his wife and mother, both of whom are dealing with breast cancer, Phil Mickleson will make his return to the golf course next week at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

"I have had a great six weeks at home. Things are going very well and I am excited about the opportunity to start playing some tournaments again," Mickelson said on his Web site. "I'll play the Bridgestone Invitational, PGA Championship, and The Barclays for sure, and if things continue to go well I'll be able to play more.''

9 – Yankees May Not Be So Stupid Just a few weeks after I wrote about the Yankees stupidity for giving away young talent to sign yet another aging veteran, they've apparently proved me wrong. Going 8-2 in their last ten and 61-39 overall, the Yankees are in first place in the AL East with a two-and-a-half game lead on the second-place Red Sox. Maybe the Steinbrenners aren't so stupid after all?

The Steinbrenners: Maybe not so stupid?

8 – Dice-K Puts Himself in Hot Water Daisuke Matsuzaka recently went on-the-record with a Japanese newspaper to express his displeasure with the way the Red Sox are handling his rehab after going on the 15-day DL for a muscle strain in his right shoulder. I would think Dice-K would want to keep quiet during his time on the injured list. He's currently 1-5 with an 8.23 ERA, a stark contrast to last year's mark of 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA. Red Sox manager Terry Francona was very quick to express the team's unhappiness with Matsuzaka's decision to speak out without the approval of his bosses.

Do you want this sort of thing worked into your next baseball videogame? In the past we've seen similar mechanics, but recently they've been left out of most franchise modes. Do you want to grapple with suspending a pitcher who speaks out against your team? Sound off in the comments section.

7 – NCAA Says, "No Dinner For You!" University of Florida basketball head coach Billy Donovan arrived in Las Vegas a few days ago for an NCAA coach's dinner only to be told that "there could be repercussions" if he went. Apparently the NCAA sent out a mass e-mail to all coaches telling them to stay away from a dinner hosted by Grassroots Basketball of America. That withstanding, five high-profile coaches including Bill Self from Kansas and Paul Hewitt of Georgia Tech still attended. The coaches were not allowed to pay for their nearly 200-dollar dinner and there were no recruits allowed. The GBOA has 35 summer-league teams among its members and the NCAA was concerned that some of those team members would be in attendance.

I don't know about you, but this is such a needless annoyance that I don't want it to be a part of my next NCAA Basketball videogame, no matter how "true-to-life" it's supposed to be.

No dinner for you!

6 – ACC Commissioner Against Vacating Wins ACC Commissioner John Swofford has spoken out, saying that he's against vacating wins. The most recent example is my alma mater, Florida State, who could have to give up 14 wins if the NCAA upholds the ruling.

"I'm supportive of a strong penalty system in college athletics," Swofford said. "But I'm not a fan of vacating games. It's lost on me a little bit about what it accomplishes."

Elsewhere the NCAA is saying that it has no obligation to release documents relating to the suit filed by the Associated Press and other media outlets with regard to Florida State's appeal. The suit claims that the NCAA must release documents in Florida State University's appeal against the ruling that they would have to vacate wins thanks to an academic infraction. The NCAA has moved to dismiss this lawsuit and the decision will be levied on August 5.